WAS PRINCE AWARE HE WAS TAKING FENTANYL, THE BIGGEST PAINKILLER?

And so here I was, reading a post online CNN and then it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe Prince would be alive today if silly mistakes such as mislabeling of drugs were avoided. What a tragedy!

On a second thought, on reading further the reports from the CNN which revealed that a trusted source with knowledge of investigation on Prince’s death gave information to the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the pills which were seized from inside Prince's Paisley Park compound by investigators were as a matter of fact labeled as hydrocodone meanwhile they contained fentanyl which was the drug that reportedly led to the death of the singer, I had a nagging question in my head.

The question that went through my head was “did Prince know about this labeling or was there some sort of foul play”?

 

I didn’t need to read any further as there were speculations that what could have caused Prince’s overdose was “either a pharmaceutical manufacturer mislabeled the pills, or the pills were illegally manufactured and obtained illegally”.

Even though I like the idea of the investigators who have decided to work with the theory that the late Prince may not have known the pills contained fentanyl, I am still wondering why a lot of these celebrities dwell on painkillers. Was Prince also in some sort of pain like we heard about MJ the late “wacko Jacko”? What’s with celebrities and pains anyway?

So far, investigators have not established whether Prince consumed those pills or whether he was aware the pills contained fentanyl and still went ahead to ingest them even though many of us have the opinion that Prince loved life, to a large extent or so we thought.  I don’t think he would have taken that overdose if he knew they were not just hydrocodone -for whatever pains- but also contained fentanyl that became the death of him on the 21^st of April, 2016 as the said fentanyl is reported to be about a hundred times stronger than the popularly abused morphine and up to fifty times the potency of heroin

In our country today, we’ve heard stories of people dying as a result of initial wrong diagnosis as well as wrong medicine prescription/administration by supposed medical professionals. From this report, it means such mistakes are not just peculiar to our country hence the need for a wake-up call for doctors and other medical professionals around the world.

So the question is, “what is the way out of this”?

In as much as many loved Prince to a fault, let’s take an objective look at the issue and some common mistakes as well as other angles to the story as suggested by the report:

If the manufacturer mislabeled the pills, there would have likely been a recall, as fentanyl is an extremely potent opioid medication and a controlled substance. It would be a serious health hazard if a batch was mislabeled and given to the public.

Star Tribune sources said Prince's toxicology report, which has not been released, also revealed the presence of lidocaine, alprazolam and Percocet in his system.

CNN's Dr. Drew Pinsky said the combination of fentanyl, (which is an opioid based drug), and alprazolam (which is a benzodiazepine) could be the key to why Prince died.

"It is all too common for people to overdose if they are taking a combination of a benzodiazepine and an opioid," Pinsky said. "This is what I've been warning was a likely possibility."

At the beginning of the investigation into Prince's death, sources told CNN that painkillers were found inside his Paisley Park compound and they could not find a valid prescription for the medication. The Star Tribune now reports that their source said no prescription for fentanyl has been found in the months since Prince's death. So, a burning question remains. How did Prince acquire the drug?

Fentanyl, the most powerful painkiller on the market, is normally prescribed to cancer patients in extreme pain. It's also used to ease the pain of someone who is dying or as part of anesthesia during surgery.

But illegally manufactured fentanyl pills are readily available across America.

Just last month, the Drug Enforcement Administration published a report saying counterfeit pills are fueling the fentanyl and heroin/opioid crisis in the United States, which has become an epidemic. The DEA issued a national health alert over the rise in fentanyl overdoses in 2015.

That year, the DEA said its National Forensic Laboratory Information System showed "there were approximately eight times as many fentanyl exhibits (confiscated drugs that tested positive for fentanyl) in 2015 as there were during the 2006 fentanyl crisis, clearly demonstrating the unprecedented threat and expansion of the fentanyl market."

Prince's death at 57 years old shocked the world. For months fans mourned the musical genius by showing up by the hundreds to pay their respects. Many left purple mementos on the fence that surrounds the Paisley Park Compound where Prince died.

He was discovered dead inside of an elevator in the complex.

Officials never revealed the amount of fentanyl that was in Prince's system. But the Star Tribune reported that a source said the amount of fentanyl in his system was so high it would have killed anyone, no matter their size.

It has been four months since Prince died and the investigation into his death is still ongoing. The DEA began working the case alongside the Carver County Sheriff's Office from the very early stages. But no one knows exactly why Prince was taking strong painkillers or how he obtained them.

Hmm! Now you have it.

After reading up, I guess you still have that nagging question of “what’s with celebrities and pain(killers)?

Lastly, medical professionals around the world should really wake up and sit up because these drugs don’t just grow legs and walk into the hands of people who use them. They are still given by persons legally and illegally so such persons need to have a rethink given the number of damages reported so far.